Owing to climate influence, mean daily temperature in north China differs greatly from that of the southern regions during the same season. The introduction of Fritillaria thunbergii to Beijing for cultivation was hampered by delayed emergence of seedling and a shortened period for their growth, resulting in degeneration with the underground bulb becoming smaller year after year. With forcing culture as described in this paper, the emergence of seedling came earlier and growth period prolonged. The blossom and fruit became normal.By combining the method with formalin treated seed, diseases and pest index of the bulb were reduced distinctly and the yield increased with increased proportion of larger bulb year after year.

OBJECTIVETo explore the molecular biology mechanism of acupuncture on improving immune function damage induced by chemotherapy in cancer-bearing mice.

METHODSSeventy-two mice (36 mice in 3-day treatment and 5-day treatment, respectively) which were successfully made into cancer-bearing model were divided into a blank group, a model group, an acupuncture group and a moxibustion group by stratified randomization method, 9 mice in each one. Except for the mice in the blank group, the remaining mice were treated with intra-peritoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (CTX, 150 mg/kg), to establish the cancer-bearing mice of CTX. The mice in the blank group were treated with intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% NaCl (identical dose as other groups). After 4 h, the mice in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were treated with acupuncture and moxibustion at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Geshu" (BL 17), "Shenshu" (BL 23), "Zusanli" (ST 36), once a day. The mice in the blank group and model group were treated with immobilization and fixation during the same time. On the next day of the end of 3-day and 5-day treatment, the sample was collected. The ELISA method was applied to measure the contents of IL-12 and TNF-α in spleen of all the mice.

RESULTSAfter 3-day and 5-day treatment, compared with the blank group, the contents of IL-12 and TNF-α in spleen in the model group were reduced (all P < 0.05); compared with the model group, the contents of IL-12 and TNF-α in spleen in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were increased (all P < 0.05), but the content of IL-12 and TNF-α in the acupuncture group was not different from that in the moxibustion group (both P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture and moxibustion could effectively increase the contents of IL-12 and TNF-α in spleen of CTX cancer-bearing mice, which could relieve chemotherapy-induced immune function damage to improve immune function.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; Humans ; Interleukin-12 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Moxibustion ; Neoplasms ; chemically induced ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; Spleen ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe serum contents of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in mice with marrow inhibition before and after acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, so as to discuss the molecular biological mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion on improving marrow inhibition and increasing white cells after chemotherapy.

METHODSEighty clean-grade male Kunming mice were selected and randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, an acupuncture group and a moxibustion group according to the weight, 20 cases in each one. Mice in the model group, acupuncture group and moxibustion group were injected with cyclophosphamide (CTX) to establish mice models of marrow inhibition, while mice in the normal group received intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% NaCl. Four hours after model establishment, mice in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were treated with acupuncture or moxibustion at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Geshu" (BL 17), "Shenshu" (BL 23) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), respectively. Mice in the normal group and model group were immobilized without any treatment. All the treatment was given once a day for consecutive 5 days. Mice blood samples were collected from caudal vein. With manual examination, the white blood cells in peripheral blood were measured on each day from model establishment to end of treatment. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was used to measure the serum contents of GM-CSF and G-CSF 3 days and 5 days after treatment.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the white cells in the model group were all reduced at each time point (all P<0.05), and the serum contents of GM-CSF and G-CSF were significantly reduced (all P<0.05). Three days after treatment, compared with the model group, the white cells in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were increased, and the difference in acupuncture group was significant (P<0.05); the serum contents of GM-CSF and G-CSF were significantly lifted (P<0.05). Four days after treatment, compared with the model group, the white cells in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were increased (both P<0.05). Five days after treatment, compared with the model group, the white cells in the acupuncture group and moxibustion group were increased and close to the normal level; the serum contents of GM-CSF and G-CSF were significantly lifted (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThrough increasing serum contents of GM-CSF and G-CSF in CTX mice, acupuncture and moxibustion could prompt maturation and proliferation of myeloid hematopoietic cells, which is benefit to the reconstruction of hematopoietic function and relieve the marrow inhibition caused by CTX, and thus lift peripheral white blood cells.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Bone Marrow ; drug effects ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; blood ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; blood ; Male ; Mice ; Moxibustion

Objective:To explore the effect of group psychotherapy on damage of theory of mind (TOM) in patients with early-onset schizophrenia.Methods:Totally 60 patients with early-onset schizophrenia were included and divided into the intervention group (n ＝ 30) and the health education group (n ＝ 30).The patients in the intervention group were offered 10 twice a week 2-hour sessions of group psychotherapy,and those in the control were offered group health education twice a week.All participants completed baseline measures and post-intervention measures with the Eye Emotion Recognition and Theory of mind Picture-sequencing Task (TOM-PST).Results:Totally 23 patients in the intervention group and 29 patients in the health education group finished the post-intervention measures.After 5-week intervention,subscores of sad and fear and total score of emotion recognition,total score of TOM-PST,understanding first order error belief,second order error belief,third order error belief,sense of reality,detecting fraud compared to baseline had statistically significant difference in intervention group.In health education group,subscores of joy emotion recognition,understanding first order error belief,third order error belief,total score of TOM-PST compared to baseline had statstically significant difference.The patients with group psychotherapy got higher scores of total score of TOM-PST and understanding second order error belief and third order error belief than the health education group after 5-week intervention (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion:This study suggests the group psychotherapy could partially improve theory of mind with early-onset schizophrenia,and promote the recovery of social cognition.

Objective:To explore the correlation among childhood trauma, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and implicit and explicit memory in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD).Methods:Fifty-two OCD patients were enrolled, and the childhood trauma was investigated by using the childhood trauma questionnaire short-form(CTQ-SF). The degree of obsessive-compulsive symptoms was assessed by using the Yale-Brown obsessive symptoms scale (Y-BOCS). In addition, the abilities of implicit memory and explicit memory were tested by vocabulary perception speed tasks and vocabulary recognition tasks.According to the scores of CTQ-SF, the patients were divided into abuse group( n=26) and neglect group( n=26). SPSS 22.0 software was used for t-test and Pearson correlation analysis. Results:Results of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, implicit memory, and explicit memory showed no differences between the abuse group and the neglect group( t=-1.959-1.839, P>0.05). The scores of obsessions symptoms(12.52±4.61) were positively correlated with the total scores of CTQ-SF (40.10±10.20)( r=0.331, P<0.05). On the subscale, the scores of obsessions were positively correlated with the scores of physical abuse(7.89±3.02), sexual abuse(6.47±2.28)( r=0.373, P<0.01, r=0.356, P<0.05). There was a negative correlation between the scores of physical abuse and the accuracy of explicit memory(68.75±13.33)( r=-0.281, P<0.05). The scores of physical neglect(8.98±2.67) was positively correlated with implicit memory response time(4 285.94±2 067.42)( r=0.314, P<0.05). Conclusion:Obsessions in patients with OCD are related to traumatic childhood experiences, especially physical abuse and sexual abuse.Physical trauma may influence the level of implicit and explicit memory in patients with OCD.

Objective To establish the model of goat intervertebral disc degeneration （IDD） induced by controllable axial compressive stress and evaluate its imaging and pathological characteristics. Methods Twenty goats were randomly divided into 4 groups (control group, 4-week pressure group, 8-week pressure group, 12-week pressure group, n=5, 40 N pressure). Disc height index (DHI) was used to evaluate the change of intervertebral disc height by X-ray, Pfirrmann classification method was used to observe the degree of intervertebral disc degeneration by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and histopathological observation and evaluation for intervertebral disc were conducted by HE staining and immunohistochemistry. Results DHI in control group showed no significant changes with the extension of pressure time, while DHI in the experimental group gradually decreased. There was no significant change in Pfirrmann classification in control group. In experimental group, with the extension of time, the higher the degeneration aggravated with the Pfirrmann classification increasing. In experimental group, HE staining showed that the disc nucleus pulposus decreased in volume and nucleus pulposus cells, which were gradually replaced by fibrous tissues. Immunohistochemical staining showed that type I collagen in the nucleus pulposus gradually increased, type Ⅱ collagen gradually decreased, and intervertebral disc degeneration occurred. Conclusions A certain axial compressive stress can lead to degeneration of goat lumbar intervertebral disc, and the degree of degeneration is gradually increased with the extension of time.